Tag: Braai

Today is Heritage Day, also known as National Braai Day. South Africans country-wide are celebrating their cultural heritage by spending time with friends and love ones around a braai!. There are of course no rules when choosing what you are going to braai – whether it is tjops, wors, chicken, ribs, fish or fillet!. You can braai whatever lights your fire!

Rib-eye, also known as Scotch fillet in Australia and New Zealand, is a beef steak from the rib section. Rib-eye steaks are naturally fatty and one of the more tender cuts of beef. It should be seared at a very high temperature to seal in natural juices and fat and then cooked on a lower heat to the required doneness. Perfectly cooked rib-eye steaks are full of flavor, moist, and melt in your mouth!

Add a splash of olive oil to a hot pan and fry the chopped onion until translucent, then stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute. Set aside to cool.

Trim away the silver skin and cut off the tail end of the fillet so both ends have an equal thickness (cook this end bit for a sneaky chef’s snack or save it for later)

To form the stuffing pocket in the fillet, slowly slice lengthways down its centre taking care to not cut all the way through the meat.

Season the fillet well (including the pocket) with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Fill the pocket with the butter, cooked onions, exotic mushrooms and thyme leaves and tightly tie about 6 pieces of butcher’s string around the fillet to secure the stuffing.

Grill the fillet over a very hot fire, searing it on all sides for about 2 minutes per side. Then move the fillet over to slightly cooler coals and braai for 20 to 25 minutes, turning it occasionally to evenly cook the beef to medium-rare. A thick piece of meat may take a little longer but keep your eye on it so it doesn’t over cook, medium-rare is recommended. Brush with olive oil if necessary.

Leave the meat to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing it into thick rounds. Remove the string before serving.

These heavenly stuffed medallions of beef can be served with any side dishes of your choice. Crispy roast potatoes and a fresh salad would be delicious accompaniments to finish off this meal.

Tips: Soak the butcher’s string in water to prevent it from burning during cooking.

Arrange the chops in a single layer in a shallow glass dish or a Tupperware marinating dish.

To make the marinade, measure the olive oil and lemon juice with a 15 ml measuring spoon x 2 and add it to a small mixing bowl. Set it aside.

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, seasoning, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk with a form until blended.

Pour the marinade over the chops, cover the dish with cling wrap or a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 or for up to 24 hours turning the chops a few times to allow the marinade to coat the meat evenly on all sides.

Place the rack in the top section of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 230 °C.

Lift the chops out of the marinade and place it on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.

Grill the chops under a pre-heated grilling element for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Set an electronic kitchen timer so that you don’t forget about it!

Combine the canola oil, lime juice and Tobasco or Sriracha sauce in a large Ziplock bag.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add it to the bag.

Once all of the chicken pieces are in the bag, turn the bag to coat the chicken with the marinade and place in the fridge for about 1 hour, turning after half an hour.

Soak toothpicks in hot water to prevent them from catching fire if you plan to grill the bites in the oven.

Cut each slice of bacon into two or three pieces (it must be big enough to wrap around the chicken pieces).

Wrap the bacon around each piece of chicken and secure with a wooden toothpick.

Brush the bacon with a little olive oil before coating it with brown sugar.

Braai on a medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the bacon is crispy. Alternatively, pre-heat the grill and grill the bacon bites on a roasting pan about 10 cm from the grilling element.

Pineapple grilled on a braai is one of my all-time favourite desserts. Using coconut sugar gives it an extra tropical taste. Coconut sugar, also know as coconut palm sugar, tastes like caramel flavoured sugar, not like coconut! It is produced from the sap of cut flower buds of the coconut palm. The Glycemic Index of coconut sugar is 35 and is therefore consideredto be healthier than refined white sugar that has a GI of 60 and brown sugar that has a GI of 64. It can be used as a 1:1 sugar substitute for coffee, tea, baking and cooking. Coconut sugar has a high mineral content, being a rich source of potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. It also contains Vit B1, B2, B3 and B6.

1 or 2 fresh pineapples, trimmed, cored and cut into wedges

30 ml coconut sugar or regular brown sugar (see notes below)

2. 5 ml ground cinnamon

a few drops water

Preheat your braai to a medium-high heat.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon and a few drops water in a mixing bowl and brush it onto the pineapple pieces.

When you are ready to braai the pineapple, lightly oil the surface of the grill.

Braai the pineapple for approximately 15 minutes, searing all sides.

Serve on it’s own, or with cream or ice cream.

Variation

Substitute the pineapple for peaches that has been pitted and halved for an equally delicious dessert (see photo below).

“Spatchcock” (poussin in French) is also the traditional word for a juvenile chicken. Spatchcocks were generally butterflied during preparation to speed up the cooking time. The word therefore refers to both the bird and the manner in which it was traditionally prepared. Spatchcocking yields a perfect roasted chicken that will cook 15 minutes faster than a whole chicken. It also exposes more skin, which crisps up nicely.

1.5 kg whole chicken
15 ml olive oil

1o ml garlic & herb seasoning

Prepare a braai for indirect cooking.

To butterfly the chicken, lay the chicken breast side down on a chopping board with the tail end facing you.

Use poultry shears (kitchen scissors will also do!) to cut out the back bone. Do this by cutting through the ribs to the left of the backbone.

Also cut to the right of the backbone and remove the backbone and the tail.

Remove the breast bone next by cutting it loose with a utility knife.

Rub olive oil into the chicken on all sides.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper or spices of your choice such as garlic and herb seasoning.

Place the chicken breast side down on the rack of the Weber over a drip pan . Tuck the wings in and cook covered with the vent open until nicely browned – 10 to 15 minutes.

Turn the chicken over and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 75 degrees celcius in the thickest part of the thigh.

Check to see whether it’s cooked by inserting a meat thermometer or by placing a skewer in the thicker part of the leg.The juices should run clear, i.e. not look pink.

Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let it rest 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into 8 pieces and transfer to a serving dish.